Thrush

Thrush

This is an infection involving the Candida yeast. Candida is present in all of us and it normally lives in the gut in equilibrium with other resident organisms. Problems arise when this equilibrium becomes unbalanced, leading to an overgrowth of the yeast.

Symptoms

The infections from Candida are characterised by symptoms such as itching, burning, pain and dyspareunia (pain during intercourse). Sometimes, a whitish discharge can be seen. Recurrent infections are common, often because the symptoms are managed but not the cause.

Causes

When the vaginal ecosystem becomes altered and the pH changes it creates the ideal conditions for Candida infections to develop. This can happen as a result hormonal changes or the use of antibiotic therapies Other factors such as reduced immunity, diabetes and digestive disorders can also contribute to the development of Candida. Inappropriate hygiene methods plus the use of close fitting synthetic clothing may also contribute to recurrences.

Did You Know That....?

Approximately 75% of all women suffer from at least one episode of vulvovaginal candida in the course of their life;

In 40-50% of these patients, Candida is a recurrent problem;

18% of women with no symptoms have test positive for Candida infection;

At any one time 5-8% of the women have active Candida symptoms;

Children can also be affected by Candida

How does DermaSilk Help?

The effectiveness of DermaSilk Intimo in recurrent thrush has been demonstrated in clinical trials. In one study the effect of DermaSilk underwear was assessed in the treatment of a group of patients who suffered from a particularly persistent and resistant form of recurrent vaginal thrush. All the patients recruited had been suffering from recurrent vulvovaginal thrush for an average of 2.4 years and had in the 6 months prior to the start of the study been treated with standard preventative antifungal therapy but despite this had continued to suffer relapses and vulvar irritation.

The 96 patients involved in the study were divided into two groups: Half wore DermaSilk underwear and the other half pure cotton underwear. All continued the standard antifungal therapy for the entire observation period of 6 months. Neither the patients nor the doctors knew which group they were in.

Results

At all stages of the study, the women in the DermaSilk group reported a much more marked and progressive improvement in terms of itching, burning, redness (erythema), vulvar irritation and swelling (oedema) than the women in the cotton group. The improvements in those who used DermaSilk continued for the entire duration of the study, whereas in some of the women who wore cotton underwear the symptoms returned after 3 months.

The study showed that the use of DermaSilk also helped to reduce the number of recurrences experienced during the 6 month study period.

32/48 (66.7%) of the DermaSilk patients had none or one recurrence during the 6 month study compared with only 17/48 (35.4%) of the patients wearing cotton.

Please note: The use of these briefs are recommended as an additional treatment option and are not intended to replace any medication prescribed by your Medical Practitioner.

For details of a poster presentation, exhibited by clinicians in Italy on the effect of DermaSilk Briefs in recurrent Thrush click here